I have been very fortunate to see several wonderfully hysterical Broadway musicals lately, including HAMILTON at the Pantages, SPAMILTON at the Kirk Douglas, AVENUE Q at the Westchester Playhouse, and SOMETHING ROTTEN! presented by Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre, a completely original new musical nominated for 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. And while a working knowledge of Shakespeare’s characters and plays will assist audience members with many of the running gags, anyone who loves to laugh at double-entendre jokes while being dazzled by big Broadway quality musical numbers will love this show!
This hilarious new musical comedy tells the story of brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom, two playwrights stuck in the shadow of that Renaissance rockstar Will Shakespeare. When a soothsayer foretells the next big thing in theatre involves singing, dancing and acting at the same time, the Bottom brothers set out to write the world’s very first musical with the most singing, the most dancing and the most gut-busting laughs ever to grace a Renaissance stage.
Laughs abound throughout each of their encounters, thanks to three principal cast members direct from Broadway: Rob McClure as Nick Bottom, Adam Pascal as Shakespeare and Josh Grisetti as Nigel Bottom, all of whom are thoroughly delightful as battling playwrights who steal ideas from each other at every chance they get in order to create their next great, crowd-pleasing production. And I challenge you to recognize all the references to not only Shakespeare’s plays but to many best-loved Broadway musicals – much in the same way as is done in SPAMILTON.
Kudos also go to other cast members Maggie Lakis as Nick Bottom’s pregnant wife Bea, Blake Hammond as the mystic advisor Nostradamus, Autumn Hurlbert as the lovely blonde, Portia, with whom Nigel Bottom falls hopelessly in love, Scott Cote as Portia’s Puritan father Brother Jeremiah who opposes her choice in men, and Jeff Brooks as Shylock, who of course provides the financial backing for the Bottom Brothers productions. With its heart on its ruffled sleeve and sequins in its soul, SOMETHING ROTTEN! is an uproarious dose of pure Broadway fun and an irresistible ode to musicals — those dazzling creations that entertain us, inspire us and remind us that everything’s better with an exclamation point!
Presented by Center Theatre Group, SOMETHING ROTTEN! is directed and choreographed at a quick pace that constantly dazzles the eye by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw, with music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Wayne Kirkpatrick, and Golden Globe Award and Tony Award nominee Karey Kirkpatrick, with a book by Tony Award nominees Karey Kirkpatrick and best-selling author John O’Farrell. An award-winning design team of Broadway veterans including Scott Pask (scenic design), Gregg Barnes (costume design), Jeff Croiter (lighting design), Peter Hylenski (sound design), and music direction by conductor Phil Reno, there is no doubt a musical theater hit has been created for the ages!
SOMETHING ROTTEN! continues through December 31, with tickets ranging from $30 – $140, available by calling 213-972-4400, online at CenterTheatreGroup.org or by visiting the Center Theatre Group Box Office located at the Ahmanson Theatre, is located at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, 90012. And do yourself a favor and take the Metro Expo line train there to avoid dealing with traffic.
